Ice tray



March 12, 1940. J. H. MINER 2,l93,694

ICE TRAY Filed June 25, 1936 W C 0 WW/ Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Clalms.

Theinvention concerns ice tray organizations for refrigerators, and consists in the features and combination of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is an end view of an ice tray with which my invention is associated.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the tray of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view similar to Figure 1 but with the parts in a difierent position after having been operated to release the ice cubes, or blocks.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a substantially one piece grid.

Fig. 5 is a side view of a tray embodying features of my invention.

In the drawing, the tray member is shown at I. This is composed of resilient, highly polished steel, and is formed with upwardly fiaring side walls and also upwardly flaring end walls, and preferably the bottom of the tray is provided with a normally downwardly bulged portion, which, by reason of the spring material of which the tray is formed, can be exed upwardly'into the position indicated in dotted lines at E, Fig. 5, or downwardly to the position shown at D, Fig. 5.

Within the tray there is a grid formed substantially in one piece, indicated generally at C. This grid is composed of a strip or sheet of spring steel material highly polished, with the sides connected together, or integral with each other at the ends of the grid, from which point, as shown in Fig. 4, the main members of the grid are curved outwardly from end to end. This grid has on its side walls or main portion a series of fins B extending outwardly from the side portions of the strip, these fins being spaced apart, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

The longitudinally curved sides of the grid being formed, as above stated, of a strip of material of a. depth substantially equal to the depth of the tray, has a natural tendency to assume the form shown in Fig. 4 with the central portion of the longitudinal members spaced widely apart, and thence converging to the ends of the grid, where such longitudinal members are connected together. In other words, the main members of the grid are formed from a single strip of material of a springy character set up on edge. When the grid is to be placed in the tray, the lengthwise extending sides are pressed together, and then the grid is forced down into the tray until it assumes the position in respect thereto shown in Fig. 2. In this action, the downwardly and inwardly inclined side walls of the tray may play a part, because the ends of the flns or partitions B of the grid are inclined downwardly and inwardly towards the center line of the grid, and these inclined edges ride down the inclined inner sides of the walls of the tray, and thus the rela- 5 tions of the parts shown in Fig. 2 are assumed. The side walls of the tray, by frictional engagement with the inclined ends of the partitions or fins, will tend to hold the grid in the position to which it is forced by a downward pressure thereon.

The longitudinally extending main members of the grid are connected at their ends by curved portions of the strip, which will enable cleaning of the grid readily to be performed, these curved ends of the grid spacing apart the longitudinally extending sides of the main body of the grid, and when the grid is removed from the tray and assumes the position shown in Fig. 4, the grid may be readily cleaned throughout itsextent.

In order to operate the tray, a suitable tool shown at A is provided, this having downwardly extending wedge portions a adapted to enter between the inclined sides of the tray and the ice cubes near the central portion of the tray. The wedge members a are connected by the main body portion constituting a cross bar A of the tool, and when the pressure of the hand, or the blow of the hand, is exerted upon this tool while in the position shown in Fig. 1, the wedge portions of the tool will spread the sides of the tray into substantially the position shown in Fig. 3, during which action the bottom wall of the tray will spring upwardly from the position shown at D in Fig. 1 to the dotted line position shown at E in Fig. 3. This fiexible bottom will allow the sides of the tray to spread apart, as shown in Fig. 3, and-this spreading action will tend to dislodge the ice cubes, as indicated in said Fig. 3, where the ice cubes have partly risen from the tray. 40

This action of separating the cubes from the tray will also be aided by the urge of the spring grid which tends to assume the position shown in Fig. 4, and thus urge the cubes outwardly to ride up the inclined sides of the tray and the inclined wedge members a of the tool, it being noted that these wedge members converge downwardly.

A tool is provided with recesses k in end projections, and when the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 3, these recesses receive the upper edges of the side walls of the tray and prevent further separation of these side walls, and at this time the spring bottom of the tray will have moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in dotted lines at E in Fig. 3. In the operation of the de'vice, a stroke or the hand upon the tool A will cause the sides of the tray to separate, and a second stroke of the hand will force the spring bottom D to flex upwardly and the grid is thereby slightly raised from its original position within the tray. The cubes will have been caused to break away from contacting parts, the spreader is then removed, and the grid C urges the cubes outwardly because of its tension derived from its springy character and the fact that when Originally set within the tray it is in its compressed condition.

Should some of the cubes tend to cling to the grid. a slight tap or twist releases them. Further, when the grid is released from the tray, its tendency to expand to the normal position shown in Fig. 4 will spread the fins or partitions and release the ice.

I do not limit myself to the use of a spring bottom. I may provide springs shown at I extending under the bottom of the tray to form rests to hold the tray level when set upon a table, or set in position in the refrigerator.

I claim:

1. In combination with an ice tray, a one piece elongated grid comprising longitudinally extending walls set up on edge and normally spaeed apart, said walls being formed of spring material normally tending to maintain said spaced relation, but adapted to be pressed towards each other for insertion into the ice tray, and fins or partitions carried by said resilient walls, said fins holding said! long'itudinally extending walls pressed towards each other by contacting with the side walls of the tray, substantially as described.

2. In combination in an ice tray composed of resilient material and having upwardly and outwardly inclined side walls, a grid removably mounted in the tray, an element having a plurality of wedge members, one of which is adapted to enter between a resilient side wall and the ice, and the other to enter between the opposite side wall and the ice, substantially as described.

3. In combination in an ice tray composed of resilient material and having sides adapted to be spread apart, a. spreading element having portions to enter between the side walls of the tray and the contacting portions of the ice within the tray, said element having lugs to engage the top edge of the tray to prevent further spreading, said tray having a. bottom portion adapted to be deflected upwardly or downwardly, substantially as described.

4. In combination an ice tray of resilient material, and a spreading element having members spaced apart a distance equal substantially to the distance between the inner faces of the opposite side walls of the tray to enter between said side walls and the ice cubes to simultaneously force the side walls outwardly away from the ice cubes.

JAMES H. MINER. 

